So back when I was a kid…maybe 10 (?), I got a Rachael Ray children’s cookbook and started to make some recipes out of it.  My absolute favorite one I ever made were these mini meatloaves (meatloaves is a bizarre word…is that even right?) that you made in a cupcake tin and topped with BBQ sauce. They were SO good.  I’m not sure what caused it, but the other day I got a serious craving for these.  Maybe it was the cold weather? Meatloaf is really a warm, comforting dish for me.  Feels like childhood.

I don’t usually buy ground beef unless I need it for something specific.  I tend to just buy ground turkey.  So I decided to try making them with that instead.  I didn’t actually remember the recipe, but I figured…what’s the worst that can happen?

I preheated the oven to 350.  Then I added my turkey to a bowl, threw in an egg, a good sprinkle of salt and pepper, about a teaspoon of oregano, a teaspoon of parsley, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 small onion, a clove of garlic, and bread crumbs.

 

Like any meatloaf, you need some kind of bread crumb to hold it together.  I had gluten-free breadcrumbs on hand, but  for some reason, I hoard them like they’re gold.  Does anyone else do this? I hate using all of them! Maybe it’s because they come in such small bags and they tend to be more expensive.  So instead of using entirely bread crumbs, I did half bread crumbs and half oats….it made me feel like I wasn’t losing so much of one thing :p…I have a problem lol If you want to use exclusively one or the other and don’t have my issues, go for it! You need a half a cup in total.  I did 1/4 cup of oats and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs.

Throw it all in a bowl and mix it up until it looks like nauseating cat food. Excited yet!?

Get your muffin tin out and give it a good spray with some kind of cooking oil.  I usually buy coconut spray oil like this one. I prefer to buy the Trader Joe’s spray coconut oil, but they were all out last time I went

Fill each cup most of the way full.  Most recipes say 3/4, but I don’t find that they rise too much, so I just fill them right up.  YOLO.  (I’m sorry I said that..)

Put them in the oven for 25min.  When that is up, pull them out and squeeze a little BBQ sauce on top, if you so choose.  I am completely head over heels for BBQ sauce so this is a necessary step for me.  Adam does not understand my obsession and might be a little worried about me…so I didn’t add any to the tops of his cupcakes.

Pop it in the oven for another 10 minutes and it’s done! You can take them out of the tin with a fork right away…but you will absolutely burn yourself like I did haha I JUST COULDN’T WAIT.  I advise that you try to practice some self control.